Street clashes between police and militants leave 12 Iraqis dead

FIERCE gun battles broke out yesterday between Iraqi police and dozens of masked militants roaming the northern city of Mosul, killing 12 Iraqis and wounding 26 others, officials said.

Police confronted the militants, who were carrying assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers while moving through streets in the Bab al-Toub area of Mosul. The battle was punctuated by explosions, witnesses said.

In the turbulent city of Fallujah, a tribal chief yesterday said he led a raid that freed four Jordanian hostages, while a militant group released two Turkish workers after Turkish truck drivers agreed to halt deliveries to US forces there.